Attacks on the Press in 2005 - Snapshots: Burundi

Committee to Protect Journalists, Attacks on the Press in 2005 - Snapshots: Burundi, February 2006, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/47c56718c.html [accessed 4 March 2015]

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Radio and online journalist Etienne Ndikuriyo was jailed for nine days in June over a report that said the transitional president, Domitien Ndayizeye, was "depressed" by his party's election defeat. He was accused of "violating the honor and the privacy of the head of state" and released on bail.

In July, the National Communications Council (CNC), an official media regulatory body, ordered Radio Publique Africaine (RPA) off the air indefinitely, alleging that RPA's recent election coverage was biased and that it had insulted the council. RPA Director Alexis Sinduhije called the suspension unjust and said the station intended to stay on the air despite the order.

A week later, police shut down RPA, despite a compromise agreement with the CNC mediated by journalists' organizations. The station was allowed to reopen five days later. After the CNC chairman resigned, former president Domitien Ndayizeye replaced the council and included RPA's deputy director among its new members. The reopening of the station and the shakeup at the CNC followed a public outcry over the censorship attempt.